Looking For Her
by malyak526
Summary: What happens on the TARDIS while Kayla (Life Changes When You Least Expect It) is missing? A compendium of short stories to link the events between end of Part Three of Life Changes When You Least Expect It and Black Who for the Doctor, River Song and many others.
1. One Night

**One Night**

The Doctor pulled the screen in front of him and started to scan the archives. A photo of a young woman appeared on the screen making him crack a small smile. It was downtime on the TARDIS and Clara was asleep.

"Old girl, where is she?" He quietly murmured to the console. Hot salty tear droplets rolled down his face. Quickly the TARDIS jolted to life taking him where he needed to be. He opened the door when the TARDIS finished wheezing and a picturesque view from a plateau took his breath away. Red flowers littered the slopes and the moon was a great big orb that shone making the area seemed like it was in daylight. The stars blinked brightly, burning millions of miles in the distance. He walked back into the TARDIS and saw Clara standing on the staircase to the console.

"What's the matter, Doctor?" She softly asked.

He smiled and said "Nothing, nothing at all."

One day, he thought, she will come back to me and hopefully my hearts will slowly begin to heal. He ran up the stairs and flicked switches, making the TARDIS come to life once more.

Outside of the TARDIS stood the woman from the photo, holding a horse. She smiled as the TARDIS began to disappear and jumped onto the horse.

"It's okay Shadowfax," she whispered into the horse's ear. "We will find each other once again, but it's not the right time. Not yet." The woman galloped into the distance with early morning rising.

The Doctor looked to the screen once again and it showed the woman galloping away on a black horse. His mouth dropped. The TARDIS knew what he needed and gave him a glimpse to renew his hope. Maybe, just maybe, it was time. Time for her to come home.


	2. River's Birthday Gift

**River's Birthday Gift**

The Doctor had just delivered River back to her prison for what felt like the millionth time. She sighed in disappointment as she looked to her cell wall. It had been more than a month since River had seen her daughter, Kayla, and on this day it made her even more upset. Being her birthday, River felt it may have been more complete if she had been around. The Doctor had taken her Ice-Skating towards the end of the Great Frost Fairs in 1814 and had Stevie Wonder sing for her under the London Bridge. A man stood in Roman dress at her door, she sniggered and said "Oh, are you boys dressing up as Romans now? I thought nobody read my memos."

The man looked confused but continued with his thought, "Doctor Song. It's Rory. Sorry, have we met yet? Time streams. I'm not quite sure where we are."

River stood back exasperated and replied, "Yes. Yes, we've met. Hello, Rory."

"What's wrong?" Rory asked, unsure about River's exasperated looks and hoped for a straight answer.

"It's my birthday. The Doctor took me ice skating on the River Thames in 1814, the last of the great Frost Fairs. He got Stevie Wonder to sing for me under London Bridge." River replied quite happy that her father was standing in front of her on her birthday.

Rory took another deep breath "I've come from the Doctor too."

"Yes, but at a different point in time." River added.

"Unless there's two of them." He plainly said.

"Now, that's a whole different birthday." She smiled at the thought of the previous birthday.

"They've taken Amy. And our baby. The Doctor's getting some people together. We're going after her, but he needs you, too." Rory babbled. River knew this was the day of Demon's Run and it wasn't her time to help.

"I can't. Not yet, anyway."

Rory looked angry and confused, "I'm sorry?"

River started to cry, the memory still very fresh in her memory. Her parents found her, but it still wasn't for years after she was taken away, "This is the Battle of Demon's Run. The Doctor's darkest hour. He'll rise higher than ever before and then fall so much further, and I can't be with him till the very end."

Rory still confused and angry that Dr Song was not going to help couldn't help but ask, "Why not?"

River, tears still streaming down her face managed to say, "Because this is it. This is the day he finds out who I am." Rory quickly left after River's final statement, making her throw herself onto the bed and she sobbed harder into her pillow.

Hours past; and finally the mail was tossed through the prison bars. A small parcel sat on her bed, and River wiped the tears from her face. Inside was a sapphire encrusted heart-shaped necklace and box set. River smiled when she saw the engraving on both the box and necklace.

_Mum, I love you with all my hearts and on your special day I am thinking of you. K xxx_

So she remembered, River thought as tears of joy ran down her face.

"Baby girl, where are you?" She whispered as she held on tight to her daughter's gifts.


End file.
